The first Black, trans, and disabled model to sign with Elite Models landed her first magazine cover

TheIsis Nicole Magazine has been covering the hottest faces in culture since 2013. The team, consisting of founder Isis Nicole and creative director Hannah Black, has consistently been ahead of the curve. They’ve managed to speak with musicians, models, and artists who are in defining moments in their careers. Some of the starlets they’ve worked with include Assassination Nation lead Abra, singer Rina Sawayama, digital creation Lil Miquela, and more recently, model Aaron Phillip.

Aaron Philip is a young, Black trans femme model living in New York City. The teen sensation was signed to Elite Model Management, possibly as a result of a positive affirmation she shared on Twitter late last year. She wrote, “honestly when i get scouted/discovered by a modeling agency it’s OVER for y’all! by y’all i mean the WORLD! it’s real inclusivity/diversity hours folks, get into it!” She is also one of the first Black, disabled, trans models to sign with Elite Model Management.

Philip is representing disabled individuals all over the world, and showing them that they can accomplish anything. She is also expressing to people that disabled and trans bodies deserve many more opportunities in fashion. In an essay for them, she said, “I have never seen a physically disabled supermodel or a Black transfeminine model heralded, celebrated, or even working in the way other models are—and I hope to change that.”

In a phone chat, Hannah Black told HelloGiggles that the theme for this cover was #Increase, and that “this manifestation has been a reflection of that and it made us more confident. This issue has been really big—it was my first time working [hands on] with a cover. Isis moved to New York, so she got to work with Aaron directly.” Black ended our talk by giddily letting me know that she feels fulfilled.